Axie Infinity

If you have always wanted to cash out your game points for actual cash, now you finally can! Axie Infinity established in 2018, is a blockchain-based game in the metaverse that allows you to play to earn. The game universe, Lunacia is where you can buy, sell, trade, battle and breed just like in the real world. Players use cute pokemon-like digital pets called “Axies”, to compete with each other, fight for top rankings and earn cryptocurrency tokens. 

Key Points

- AXS (Axie Infinity Shard) tokens are earned as rewards for gameplay and can be staked as governance tokens.

- Axies are sold as NFTs tokens on the marketplace and have to be purchased before playing the game. 

- Axie Infinity is being built as a simulation of a real world where players can interact, breed, battle and own assets with real-life value. 

Axie Infinity rewards players for skill, level, and time spent in the game instead of the number of wins they have. 

What does an Axie look like? 

All Axies look like tiny blobs but differ in body parts, colors, and accent features. There are several classes that each Axie may belong to. It could be a beast, aquatic, plant, moon, star, reptile, bug, bird, or nut. 

Axies are inspired by Axolotls.

Each Axie has three genes which are dominant, recessive, and minor recessive genes. 

The dominant gene is the body part that is visible on the Axie such as a tail or a clamshell. The recessive genes are not present but can be passed onto its offspring when it is bred. 

The value of an Axie is determined by the genes it may have which relate to the class and body part it has. Some genes are more competitive or rarer than others. 

What Is The Game About? 

Axie Infinity is a beginner-friendly game and while it may look confusing at first, most get the hang of it after a few matches. 

The main goal in the game is to knock your opponents out with your Axies and their abilities. Players take turns to battle with their opponents and the one with the best ability and powers wins. 

Rewards are given in SLP (Smooth Love Potion) tokens which can be converted to cash. Prices of SLPs tend to vary according to the crypto market just like the stock market. 

There are two modes for the gameplay: Adventure and Arena. 

Adventure

In Adventure mode, there are 36 levels called Ruins. In this mode, you will have to go on a quest and fight monsters in each level and this earns about 50 SLP a day. 

Arena

In Arena mode, you will be fighting against other players and their Axie teams. Rewards are given based on the highest MMR (Matchmaking Rating). Both players receive SLPs for this but in different quantities based on the rating up to 21 SLPs. If you are the better player, you earn more SLPs than your opponent. 

Farming

Players can also earn by “Farming” which means completing daily tasks. This could include winning 5 battles in Arena mode or 10 battles in Adventure mode. Once completed, you can expect to earn up to 25 SLPs.

Breeding

Breeding allows you to create more Axies that can either be added to your team or sold as an NFT on the marketplace. Breeding requires SLP tokens. When selling, your Axie’s value depends on the traits it has like body parts, genes, and rarity. 

Earning Potential In Axie Infinity

There are many ways to earn from this game and these include: 

Smooth Love Potions (SLP)

You can earn SLP tokens through farming and harvesting the tokens. This is by far the easiest way for beginners to get started. SLP tokens are also rewarded for battles and quests. They can now be earned in Arena mode. The higher the level, the higher the earnings. 

Breeding and selling Axies 

To start playing Axie Infinity, three Axies will have to be purchased from their marketplace to create a team. With this team, a player can start playing the game. Within the universe, Axies are able to breed with each other to create new Axies. 

Since Axies are NFTs, you can sell your Axie babies at the marketplace. The price will depend on the special body parts or genes your Axies have. 

As more players start playing Axie Infinity, the demand for Axies will continue to grow. 

Axie scholarship program

The Scholarship program was created to allow players to still be able to earn and play the Axie Infinity game without having to buy the Axie NFTs. Instead, they can become a scholar and use the Axies from a Manager to play. As a trade-off, a portion of their winnings goes to the Manager. 

As a manager, you can buy Axie NFTs and manage teams and scholars. Once you have trained your scholar teams, your scholars would be providing you with passive income every time they play. 

Managers get to decide the terms and conditions for their scholars such as the game winnings split, and quotas. 

Lunacia land plots

Lunacia is the world Axies live in. The developers are now allowing users to buy NFT land plots within Lunacia which can then be sold for a profit. Land plots can be used to build resources, shops, or other buildings.

In addition, some landowners might find treasures within their land like AXS tokens. 

Land can also be rented out to other players. This feature is still in its early stages however with time, we will see this developing to better prospects. 

Staking AXS tokens

AXS tokens can be staked for rewards. Staking is essentially locking up your AXS tokens like a fixed deposit to facilitate the Axie Infinity’s blockchain. When this is done, stakers are rewarded with new AXS tokens. This can be done in the AXS staking board via the Axie Marketplace. 

How to get started on Axie Infinity? 

Already downloaded the game? Not so fast. There are a few steps you should take before you start playing. Here are the steps you should know: 

1. Create a digital wallet

Axie Infinity pays in cryptocurrencies. Thus, players will have to have a place to store these cryptos. The best wallet to have is the MetaMask wallet. 

2. Buy Ethereum

Once you have your wallet, buy Ethereum via an Exchange like Coinbase or Binance. This is because this is a required token for the game. Store the Ethereum in your Metamask wallet first. 

3. Create a Ronin wallet

A Ronin wallet holds your AXS and Ethereum. It can be downloaded as an extension for your browser or via an app on a mobile device. 

4. Buy the Axies

Axies are available for purchase via the Axie Infinity marketplace. To buy, simply log in with your Ronin Wallet and have it connected to the marketplace. Alternatively, you can always become a “scholar” and get your Axies from a Manager. This way, you can start playing without any initial investment. 

However, do note that this is not an in-game feature and this is usually done via a Reddit/Discord/Telegram group and managed outside of the game. 

5. Set up your gameplay account

To set up, head to Axie's official marketplace, log in and add an email and password. 

6. Download Axie Infinity to play

If you have already downloaded the game, you can officially start playing. Currently, the game is only optimized for desktop playing via macOS or Windows. 

What Can I Do With AXS Tokens? 

The AXS tokens help run the Axie Infinity game. With the AXS tokens, players can stake the tokens for rewards and participate in governance voting. 

AXS is also used as currency when purchasing from the Axie Marketplace. The number of AXS tokens also may determine participation in some sales or auctions for certain rare NFTs. 

Axie Infinity Was Founded In The Land Of The Ascending Dragon

Axie Infinity was founded by Sky Mavis. Three of the five founders of this game are Vietnamese. 

The founder and CEO of the company is Nguyen Thranh Trung. 

At the early age of 19, he co-founded a company called Lozi which was an e-commerce startup that raised over 10 million dollars. Lozi revolved around food blogging as a social network. 

He later left Lozi to work as a software engineer for Anduin Transactions based in Silicon Valley. 

His interests diverged into blockchain and cryptocurrency when Vietnam was just starting to adopt the concept of blockchain and getting interested in Bitcoin. 

Trang had a lightbulb moment when he played CryptoKitties and decided to start Axie Infinity. 

This could be why Axie infinity is a hybrid game that incorporates elements from CryptoKitties and Pokemon. 

He mentions that Axie Infinity’s future plans involve making the game accessible to not just crypto wallet holders but to all gamers. This means there may be some free Axies that gamers can use without having to put down the initial investment to play. 

Axie Infinity vs. CryptoKitties

Both games have been in close competition for the Top 5 best Crypto games. 

CryptoKitties was one of the earliest NFT-based blockchain games to have entered the market. In this game, players breed cats and each cat is an NFT so it can be then sold for a price. The cats can also be used to play games like catfights or puzzles. However, the game mainly revolves around breeding the cats to get the best outcome which can be sold for a higher price. 

Axie Infinity on the other hand is a more battle-centric game where you have to fight your way to the top. Breeding Axies are part of the game features however most of the tokens earned are from engaging in battles and displaying skill and effort. 

Axie Infinity rewards players for their skill and time spent playing while CryptoKitties is more of a lifestyle game that requires less attention.